U.S. House, Alabama 3rd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Alabama's 3rd Congressional District?
Mike Rogers has the strongest record in Alabama's 3rd Congressional District. Mike Rogers scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Lee McInnis at 56, as of October 6, 2026. Mike Rogers's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lee McInnis's highest marks are accountability and communication. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic
Lee McInnis
56 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Mike Rogers
64 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 45
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 69
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Lee McInnis
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Mike Rogers
- Mark against2023-01-06
On Jan. 6, 2023, during a House speaker ballot, moved toward Rep. Matt Gaetz on the floor and was restrained by Rep. Richard Hudson; on Jan. 8 he said he regretted losing his temper.
- On the record2021-01-07
Signed the December 2020 House amicus brief supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania and voted Yea on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021.
Sources: Texas v. Pennsylvania, amicus brief of 126 House members, House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
- Credit2023-12-22
As House Armed Services chair, sponsored H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, signed into law Dec. 22, 2023.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Lee McInnis. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Mike Rogers. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found. The Clerk lists no stock trade reports for him since 2019.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Lee McInnis. No public record found.
Mike Rogers. Voted against measures his party's House leaders backed, including the November 2023 continuing resolution, the March 2024 appropriations package and a September 2024 continuing resolution.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 658, 2023 (H.R. 6363), House Clerk Roll Call 102, 2024 (H.Res. 1102, concurrence in H.R. 2882), House Clerk Roll Call 431, 2024 (H.R. 9494)
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Lee McInnis. Has held open in-person town halls, including one at the Opelika Public Library in August 2026 and an open meeting in Opelika announced for November 2025. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: WTVM, Aug. 20, 2026, Alabama Political Reporter, Nov. 12, 2025
Mike Rogers. His House office offers town hall sign-up and mobile office hours, and he held in-person town halls in Oxford and Opelika in 2017. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: Office site, home page, The Anniston Star, Aug. 10, 2017
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Lee McInnis. Served in the Army from 1983 to 1989 and then spent 28 years in the Defense Intelligence community. No conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Lee McInnis
Mike Rogers. During the January 2023 speaker votes he moved toward Rep. Matt Gaetz on the House floor and was physically restrained by a colleague; he said afterward he regretted that he briefly lost his temper.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Lee McInnis. Served in the Army and in federal civil service with the Defense Intelligence community. No official finding of misconduct found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Lee McInnis, WTVM, Aug. 20, 2026
Mike Rogers. Voted Yea on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021, and signed the December 2020 House amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021, Texas v. Pennsylvania, amicus brief of 126 House members
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Lee McInnis. Army Arabic linguist, then an intelligence officer and instructor over a 28-year Defense Intelligence career, later a college instructor. Has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Lee McInnis
Mike Rogers. In the U.S. House since January 2003, now in his twelfth term.
Source: GovTrack, Mike Rogers
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Lee McInnis. Publishes positions on the economy, health care access and representation, in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Mike Rogers. Chairs the House Armed Services Committee and sponsored the enacted FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, GovTrack, H.R. 2670 (118th Congress)
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Lee McInnis. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, publishes issue statements and holds town halls.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Lee McInnis, Campaign site, home page, WTVM, Aug. 20, 2026
Mike Rogers. His House office offers an e-newsletter, town hall sign-up and mobile office hours, and posts key issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Lee McInnis. Lives in Lee County, in the district, after a career away; born in Birmingham and an Auburn graduate. FEC by-state totals show about 95 percent of itemized individual contributions from Alabama.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Candidate Connection survey, FEC contribution totals by state
Mike Rogers. A sixth-generation East Alabamian who lives in Calhoun County. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 31 percent of itemized individual contributions from Alabama.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Lee McInnis. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026, showing $60,787 raised. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Mike Rogers. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, showing $2.13 million raised. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Lee McInnis. No public record found.
Mike Rogers. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.955 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 2.455, meets expectations. Sponsored the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act, signed Dec. 22, 2023.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 2670 (118th Congress)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Lee McInnis. No public record found.
Mike Rogers. Missed 352 of 15,180 roll call votes, 2.3 percent, from January 2003 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Lee McInnis. No public record found.
Mike Rogers. Runs district offices in Oxford and Opelika and posts mobile office hours. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Lee McInnis. No public record found.
Mike Rogers. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.59239 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 241 of 436, a negative score above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Lee McInnis. No public record found.
Mike Rogers. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Alabama's 3rd Congressional District?
Mike Rogers has the strongest record in Alabama's 3rd Congressional District. Mike Rogers scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Lee McInnis at 56, as of October 6, 2026. Mike Rogers's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lee McInnis's highest marks are accountability and communication. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Alabama's 3rd Congressional District in 2026?
Lee McInnis (Democratic), Mike Rogers (Republican, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Lee McInnis a good candidate for Congress?
Lee McInnis scores 56 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 55 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Mike Rogers a good candidate for Congress?
Mike Rogers scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 45 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Alabama race scored, and the Alabama 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.